Grumbles from a British Egyptian woman. I study Politics, Philosophy & History in an attempt to make sense of the World & all the stuff that happens in it.

Category Archives: Egypt

So, in a few minutes, Morsilini the sheeple’s dictator is set to be stood down after defying an army ultimatum by our old friends SCAF and inevitably, there will be another military coup d’etat. These would be saviours are being cheered on by so many – but let’s not forget the last time we had a military dictatorship!

Whilst Morsi & the Brotherhood are calling for death, blood and martyrdom to protect a revolution they didn’t even participate in, that other organised gang, the army are polishing their weapons. These bunches of willy-wagglers will not be content until they bring down Egypt with them.

Victim-blaming is the predictable & cowardly response to rape by those who hate women. It’s a universal & hateful response to violence against women & a way simply, to abuse power to try & subdue & degrade women. We have the right to participate in our society, we won’t be cowed into not taking our rightful place and fight for our rights by these organised sexual terrorists.

We saw it in India, after the uproar following the gang-rape & murder of the student. We see it almost everytime there is a rape case in the mainstream media (think DSK, Assange, etc etc). How stupid do you have to be to think that the person responsible for rape is the person doing it?

Before anyone comes up with that stupid ‘you wouldn’t leave your car/house/valuables unlocked’ argument, we are human beings, ok? We should be able to go about our lives without the fear of sexual harrassment & violence, and being blamed for it when it happens. It’s not us that’s doing it now, is it? What does it say about their attitudes to Egyptian women, that they are on the same sides as the rapists? I’ll let you make up your own mind.

I read the papers and online testimonials of mob attacks on women in the streets protesting and if I had not read the titles, I would have thought that the authors had suddenly taken a keen interest in the every day life of street children. I would have justifiably concluded they have become avid observers who have taken to the street to highlight the prevalence and normality of sexual violence in street culture that very little children live every night. But no, I have read the title; the words indicate this is about other girls; younger and older women, “welaad naas”, of the working and middle class (because remember street kids are the “excluded” class, second class citizens if that!). These articles are written because “citizens” have been struck, “citizens” honour has been violated; “citizens” human rights have been wronged. But street children? They aren’t citizens – they don’t even…

This video (I know I probably should, but can’t bring myself to watch it until the end) shows a woman being attacked, brutalised and raped by a pack of men in Tahrir Square.

This ongoing & increasing sexual terrorism against the women of Egypt must stop! This pandemic of sexual violence was bad enough before the revolution, but it is now being deployed as a weapon against women on a scale never seen before.

The terrible case of the lady who was gang-raped & murdered on a bus in India was horrifying. What followed though, gave me some hope. Seeing the women and men of India rise up against the travesty that is misogyny & sexual violence was a beautiful and surprising phenomena. It gave me hope that something similar would happen in Egypt.

Alas! Not yet! Our prime minister seems more obsessed with dirty breasts that the dirty attacks on innocent women. The silence of those who should be cracking down on this is deafening. Every single Egyptian who is not on the side of those rapists and sexual terrorists should be out there protecting the dignity, freedoms & rights of their sisters and protesting this travesty on society.

Hope is not lost, though, there are many who are standing up against this, and I hope that it will increase rapidly. Please join the women of Egypt in solidarity next Tuesday. If you’re in London, please come to the embassy at 6PM.

Morsi & the Brotherhood have trapped themselves with all the empty promises & platitudes to justice & freedom.

And what do people who are trapped do? They lash out. Egyptians again, are paying the ultimate price. More blood is shed, more martyrs made. The dictator does what dictators do (how quickly Morsi picked up the ropes) he kills, he oppresses, he sends in the tear gas & the troops, he orders a curfew & calls for a new (but old, these tactics are so, so old now) state of emergency.

That didn’t stop the fight for freedom & justice before, and it won’t now, either. Morsi should know that, but the power has gone to his head and the man only has himself to blame for the deaths, the troubles and the disappointment.

This time last year I was doing what I’m doing now, rushing around & being late for a rally in Trafalgar Sq. Last time the day ended with Mubarak’s downfall & the beginning of the new dictatorship, SCAF. There’s a little part of me that hopes that tonight I’ll be celebrating their downfall too. I doubt it, the chances are miniscule, but a girl can dream.

I read two stories yesterday, both probably happened around the same time. When reading the first story, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The second story makes me never want to stop crying.

The second story is much more important, but I want to get the first out of the way. This story was one that was dominating my timeline, both on Twitter & Facebook & for good reason too. Take a moment to watch these hijacking Islamist MP caterwauling in Parliament. The ‘religious’ (faux) equivalent of willy-waggling. Goodness knows, there are enough mosques in Cairo. There is nowhere to hide from the Azaan & I don’t believe it is incumbent on any Muslim to suddenly break into the Azaan, no matter what the circumstances. That is what the Mu’zen (person whose actual JOB it is to do the Azaan (call to prayer)) in the mosque is for. Some people can’t help making a spectacle of themselves.

Meanwhile, outside Parliament, what was happening? I saw this on only one person’s wall on Facebook & was filled with horror & shame that the desperation of those who have nothing is still so palpable & crying out for attention in these times of news overload. The same people that were being overlooked before are being overlooked now. This poor man, whose name I don’t even know, had set fire to himself outside Parliament, after losing his job there. Perhaps, even while the Azaan fiasco was ongoing.

I believe that many in Parliament, especially those elected on a moral/religious ticket are following in the same footsteps and falling into the same traps as their prior secular ruling tormentors. Where’s the outrage & discussions of important matters for the citizens who are most deserving of it? What are the priorities?